How Often Should You Have Your Area Rugs Professionally Cleaned?

Area rugs are a necessity in every household; they bring comfort and style as well as protecting the hard flooring from damage. Regardless of the location, whether it is a living room, dining room, bedrooms or halls, there is a lot of foot traffic on area rugs. As such, over time they accumulate dirt, dust, pet hair, germs and bacteria among others. While you can clean them using a vacuum cleaner, they still remain dirty since there are some things which cannot be cleaned using a simple vacuum.

There are many things that determine when you need professional cleaning for your rug, and some of these include the kind of rug, foot traffic, presence of pets or kids and indoor conditions. When your rugs start looking dirty, chances are that they are dirty since all those elements settle within the fibres of the rugs.

In London, Ontario, routine professional area rug cleaning is one of the best ways of keeping your rugs beautiful, soft and long-lasting..

Why Regular Area Rug Cleaning Is Important

Area rugs function as big filters inside your house. On a daily basis, they absorb dust, pollen, pet dander, soil, food pieces, and micro allergens that would be present in the air if it weren’t for the rugs. Even though that contributes to the cleanliness of your household, it doesn’t mean that those impurities don’t accumulate in the fibers of the rug over time.

As the rug gets more and more dirty, its fibers get more compacted and lose some of their softness and color. Tiny particles of dust constantly scratch rug fibers during every single step on the rug.

Professional area rug cleaning involves removal of those deposits that regular vacuuming at home doesn’t clean out.

What Determines How Often Your Area Rugs Should Be Cleaned?

No specific cleaning schedule can be used by all households. The following factors are among those which will affect the degree of your rugs' contamination and need for professional cleaning.

Daily Foot Traffic

The foot traffic that a particular rug receives plays a critical role in the cleanliness of the area rug. High foot traffic will make a rug collect more dirt than a decorative rug kept in the guest room or formal living area.

This means that high-traffic area rugs need to be cleaned regularly to prevent the dirt from becoming embedded in the rug.

Pets in the Home

Pets constantly lose their hair, dander, and dirt all through the year. Besides, dogs and cats track dirt and grime, such as mud and pollen, inside the house when they come back from their excursions.

Despite vacuuming on a routine basis, the hair and allergens of the pets slowly collect inside the carpet fibres. Accidents that pets have may leave stubborn stains that cannot be cleaned effectively using regular cleaning agents.

Area rug cleaning for homes having pets is required every six months.

Children and Family Activities

Families with younger children have the problem of spills, crumbs from food, dirt, craft materials, etc. Children often tend to sit and play on floor rugs, which makes it necessary for such families to maintain cleanliness.

Professional cleaning takes away the dust, bacteria, germs, etc., and gives a clean surrounding in which children can play freely.

Seasonal Weather in London, Ontario

Residents in London, Ontario, face seasonal weather elements during the course of a year that influence the cleanliness of the surrounding area rugs.

• Winter sees the entry of snow, road salt, and moisture into the homes.

• Mud and seasonal pollen become common during spring.

• Dust and outdoor activities characterize the summer season.

• Autumn results in the accumulation of leaves, soil, and moisture.

• It is through these seasonal influences that dirt accumulates in the rug fibers.

General Cleaning Schedule for Different Homes

While there can be differences from one house to another, the frequency suggested by cleaning professionals is as follows:

Professional area rug cleaning service removing dirt and allergens from a large area rug in London, Ontario.

• Houses where there isn’t much traffic: Once in every 12 to 18 months.

• Regular families with average houses: Once every 6 to 12 months.

• Houses with pets or kids around: Once every 6 months.

• Busy places: Once in every 3 to 6 months..

Following a regular cleaning schedule helps prevent dirt buildup before it causes permanent wear or difficult-to-remove stains.

Signs Your Area Rug Needs Professional Cleaning

Homeowners tend to schedule a professional carpet cleaning only once their rugs appear heavily stained with dirt and grime. However, by that point, allergens, bacteria and dust tend to have been trapped inside the fabric for quite some time already. Since rugs accumulate microscopic particles of dirt and germs not easily seen with an untrained eye, even if your rugs seem perfectly clean, they may still need a good professional treatment.

If any of the following occurs, it might be a sign that your rug requires professional cleaning. For instance, if your colours lose their freshness or fibres are rough when you walk on your rug, there are unpleasant odours present despite thorough vacuuming, or there is an appearance of persistent stains, then you should get your rug professionally cleaned. Allergy symptoms getting worse, accumulation of pet hairs and dirt in your carpet are other clear signs that your rug needs something more than just regular vacuuming.

Can Vacuuming Replace Professional Area Rug Cleaning?

Vacuuming is the most important process involved in the maintenance of rugs, but it should not be considered as alternative for professional rug cleaning services. The function of house vacuuming is to clean out loose particles of dirt and crumbs.

The professional cleaning of rugs involves removing dirt from the deepest point in the rugs. Household vacuum cleaners cannot be used to clean dirt accumulated in the deeper part of rugs because they were made for cleaning only the surface level of rugs.

The movement over rugs leads to accumulation of dust, bacteria, pollen grains, pet dander and dust mites on rugs. This makes the process of removing such dirt by vacuuming difficult.

This shows that vacuuming is not an alternative for professional rug cleaning service.

Benefits of Routine Professional Area Rug Cleaning

Professional cleaning is more than about aesthetics; it serves to protect your investment as well as keeping your home cleaner and healthier.

• Regular professional cleaning allows you to:

• Get rid of deeply ingrained dirt and dust.

• Eliminate allergens and bacteria hidden in the fibers.

• Clean tough stains safely.

• Disinfect nasty odors.

• Return softness and bright colors.

• Increase the longevity of your area rug.

The removal of impurities before they can do any harm to your rug's fibers will make your rug last longer.

Why London, Ontario Homes Need Regular Area Rug Cleaning

Homes across London, Ontario have varying weather conditions where the area rugs are exposed to all kinds of contaminants depending on the season. Winter brings snow, moisture, and road salts indoors. Spring comes along with mud and pollen, and during summer, dust accumulates more, with an increase in outdoor activities. Autumn also introduces leaves, moisture, and soil to the house floors.

All these factors lead to gradual accumulation of the contaminants in the rugs despite their vacuuming regularly. Homes that have pets, kids, and active members accumulate dust at an even higher rate.

Area rug cleaning helps in cleaning the accumulated contaminants without compromising on the quality of the rug. It is also a great way of creating a healthier living environment by removing dust, bacteria, pet hair, and other allergens trapped in the rugs.

Final Thoughts

The best cleaning regime for your area rug is dependent on where you have placed the rug, how much foot traffic the rug receives, and whether you have any pets or young children or allergy-sufferers living with you. Most people in London, Ontario, would do well having their area rugs professionally cleaned every 6 to 12 months.

Railway City Carpet Cleaning offers professional area rug cleaning services in London, Ontario, with the aim of safely cleaning dirt, allergens, stains, and odour off all types of area rugs. Regardless of whether your rug requires a regular cleaning or a deeper restorative cleaning, you can count on us to give you professional cleaning methods that will keep your rugs looking fresh and beautiful for many years to come.